Global Santa Marta Conference Calls for Accelerated Fossil-Fuel Phase-Out and Highlights Financing Gaps

On 27 April 2026, more than 50 national governments, dozens of sub-national authorities and thousands of civil-society groups convened in Santa Marta, Colombia, for the first global summit dedicated to ending fossil-fuel use. Organized outside the United Nations framework, the meeting is intended to feed a “People’s Summit” document into high-level ministerial talks the following day.

The Guardian

Delegates highlighted that UN climate talks have struggled to create financing mechanisms, leaving economies trapped in a “debt-fossil fuel” cycle where oil and gas revenues fund existing debt. The International Institute for Sustainable Development reported that in 2024 fossil-fuel subsidies reached $1.2 trillion, while clean-energy support was $254 billion. In developing regions, renewable-project borrowing rates average about 15 percent, compared with 2 percent in Europe and North America, widening the financing gap.

Associated Press

Angela Picciariello (IISD) urged governments to protect households while scaling renewable investment, warning against repeating subsidy mistakes. Amiera Sawas (Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative) noted that financing for fossil fuels remains more accessible than for renewables. Sarah Izant (California EPA) reaffirmed the state’s 2045 carbon-neutrality goal and cited health and economic co-benefits. Jean Lemire (Quebec) announced a consensus to halt new fossil-fuel projects.

The Guardian

Indigenous leaders warned that replacing oil with renewable technologies could shift extractive pressure to critical-mineral mining, threatening forests and water. Luene Karipuna (Amapá, Brazil) said extractivists destroy nature and ways of life. Patricia Suárez (National Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon) called for a simultaneous ban on fossil fuels and mineral extraction in the Amazon. Gregório Mirabal (Kurripako, Venezuela) stressed that a true transition must protect standing forests and fresh water. Indigenous groups also rejected carbon-offset markets as ineffective.

The Guardian

The conference noted that the COP30 declaration omitted the term “fossil fuels,” reflecting UN procedural limits. Brazil’s Espírito Santo state is using oil-and-gas royalties to fund an emissions-reduction fund, but experts warned that such revenues are volatile and will decline as production falls, leaving uncertainty about long-term financing stability.

Associated Press

• “Angela Picciariello, senior researcher at the IISD, said: “Governments need to stop making the same mistakes and expecting different outcomes.” — Angela Picciariello, senior researcher, International Institute for Sustainable Development

The Guardian

• “When extractivists move in, they don’t just destroy nature, but also our way of living,” — Luene Karipuna, Indigenous leader, Amapá, Brazil

The Guardian

• “We remain steadfast in our commitment to carbon neutrality by 2045,” — Sarah Izant, deputy secretary for climate policy, California EPA

Associated Press

• “But there’s one common enemy — climate change — and we don’t find that money.” — Jean Lemire, Quebec climate envoy

Associated Press

The People’s Summit document prepared in Santa Marta will be presented at the ministerial meetings on Tuesday. Tuvalu announced it will host the next global conference, positioning the Pacific nation as a catalyst for continued momentum on the fossil-fuel phase-out agenda.

Associated Press